Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-02
NATURAL RESOURCES.
A Visit to the Granite Quarries Of Bur.
net and the Wonderful Marble
Falls Adjacent.
a Magnificent Site for Manufacturing
City-Adyantages Not to be Lost
to the State.

FoRT WORTH, Ten Jan. l, 1897.
To the Editor OF the Gazette.
Knowing that your enterprising journal
IS fully abreast with the times and keeps
space open to chronicle every evidence Of
great wealth In our magnificent Empire
State, am induced to claim part ofyour
Taluable columns to briefly recount the
evidences of opening material wealth re-
certify viewed in the county Of Burnet.
refer to a trip to the granite quarries of
| BurDet and the wonderful water-pOW er
adjacent known as Marble Falls. On q
bright, bracing December morning l, in
company with citizen of tn town, lett
Burnet and after fifteen mile drive
reached the COLORADO river at the falls.
FL re we spent the uaY IN examining the
lavish display OF nature in providing
abundant material for mans require
ments. First, we viewed the immense
rush Of water, damned up by natural
beds and boulders of marble of all kinds
and colors, from the magnificent ebor-
hued rocks of many tons weight to the
Lodges OF Parian marble slOng the river
banks. We found no less than 3 dozen
different varieties OF marble, all &C.
cessible and ready as rough aSHlars
to be dressed into perfect
ones By master workmen. Marble falls
nas fall Of twenty-five feet in distance
of $50 yards, and a $500 horsepower OF
water, and even when the river IS at It's
lowest stage. The natural dam
represses the flow to such an extent as to
furnish O broad erpAnse of water, sew
ersl feet in depth, for distance of two
miles. The noise Of the rushing Wster as
II passes through openings in the falls can
be heard for miles. The hill5 surround
ing these fails are found to contain btu
minous and Camel coal in paying quanti-
ties. The bed OF Backbone creek,
stream thst empties into the Colorado
just above the fall, contains IN IFS sands
the best Of gIass-prOducing material.
The valleys and hills adjacent have vast
quantities Of cedar Of g quality un-ur-
passed IN Texas, while az he head Of the
restrained water is solid bed of granite
200 feet thick and covering seventy five
acres ui land. From all have read, seen
or heard OF know no place comparable to
this for extensive manufactures. Here SIZE
coal mines, iron veins of so per cent
pure iron, piumbago, marbles Of all
kinds, cedar for manufac uriDg wooden
-
West, h' d. of he finest lithogrsph tons s,
magnificent sites for cotton aud WOODEN
mills, water power to run them ell
1T minimum expense. Added to and
above al these natural advantages
of water power aud material, the climate
is the most saIubriuus and healthy in
Texas. Too long have the grind mineral
AID material resources Ct our great state
been left 20 lie dormant. at last the state
is becoming aroused TO the necessity Of
utilizing the great wealth her mountains
of minerals contain. The selection Of
Burnet granite for our state capitol build
Ing has revealed the great Resources of
this part Of Bu net county. Should il be-
come nece ssarY to Increase our facilities
to keep within the walls the state couvicts
mere will be fuuLd the states opportunity
20 secure the hathest locality and su-
p-rabuudsnce of material for maDufacto-
RES that come less in competition with
{ zee labor than any others that Covicts can
be engaged in. Again, il the time is not
ripe for the immediate increase of peni-
tentiaries this plant could DE secured for
the location Of house OF correction ana
school of reform for the adoleScent class
Of cOnvic,s. If the state does not secure
control Of this wonder and OF materia adj
ventaaes soon private capitala and railroad
corporations will build from Fort Worth
through BurDet to al outlet on the south
west coast of Texas. At Marble Falls
there is magnificent site for large
manufacturing city, and it requires no
prophetic eye to discern that ere the close
of the pres ut century it will be peopled
by = busy manufacturing citizenship. 1t
seems in viewing the advantages but
family portrayed in this buried article,
ct "msn' necessities" are always OPP
porturely pointed cut. The Souh needs
TO utilize just such advantages as nature
so unspGrlngly Offers in Marble Falls and
vicinity. We hope you will, through
your widely circulated and most enter
priSiug GAZETTE, examine int. the merits
of this subject and give your inaaence to
its speedy development.
S.. P CUNNINGHAM.